Hey Bucky, do you have any good self defense suggestions for a teeny and awkward college kid who has to walk everywhere at night? I’ve got no car and the busses don’t run late. Thanks!

buckykingofmemes:

keep your head up and your eyes open. be aware of your surroundings. don’t wear both headphones if you’re listening to music; you need to hear what’s happening. if someone’s looking at you, look back–you want to be able to describe them later if you have to. no need to stare them down, but in my experience little black greasepaint around the eyes never hurts. 

keep an eye on the shadows and reflections–long low streetlights can alert you to someone coming up behind you. unless that person is natasha. then you should just resign yourself to death. 

murder strut, don’t slink–do your best to look like somebody who would put up a fight with nothing but the way you walk. 

and if you want to arm yourself, choose wisely. pick something you know you can use that’s legal in your area–the last thing you need is to get arrested for tazing somebody. practice with it, even if it’s mace; whip it out, pop the cap, get ready to spray. practice, practice, practice. and pick something you could handle having used against you. if you don’t want to get shot, don’t carry a gun; if you don’t want to get stabbed, don’t carry a knife. any weapon you introduce to combat–especially one you’re not competent with–can be taken from you and used against you, which is why you’re better off with mace or a taser than a set of brass knuckles. i carry around a rocket launcher because i’ve been grenaded a couple times and im pretty much cool with it. and also it really deters pickpockets.

whatever you pick, keep it handy. if your mace is at the bottom of your backpack, it will do you exactly zero good in a pinch. figure out a way to carry whatever you’re gonna use in a way that you have ready access to it, and then make that a habit. if all you have is keys, have them ready to claw with. if all you have is a robot murderfist, surgically attach it to your body so you don’t lose track of it.

and finally, scream. scream like tony just walked in on you in the shower. scream like thor just set a car on your toe again. the threat of attracting attention is enough of a deterrent for many people. and also its fun. hydra disapproved of my hellbeast combat shrieking so much that they gave me that fun and flirty facemask so i’d stop. but there’s nothing stopping me now! draw attention to yourself.

i hope that helps!